Here to Stay
by KingdomHikari
Summary: Two years after the movie, Ed and Al find a way to cross back through the Gate. Ed slowly realizes his feelings for Winry may be more than he thought they were. General story, some humor, romance...
1. Home At Last

It is a gorgeous day in Risembool. The air is not very hot, and it's not very cold, but just comfortable. Springtime is here, and the flowers are beginning to pop out of the ground and blossom. Birds are constantly chirping, and young children are riding their bikes in the fresh green grass.

Edward Elric takes one whiff of the air, and a goofy smile crosses his face. "Al, can you smell that?"

Alphonse sniffs the air and smiles with joy. Being able to smell the air again makes him content. Sometimes it seems like it was just yesterday he was still in the cold, steel armor. After another long adventure in Germany, somehow the Elric brothers found a way to get back through the Gate, but it wasn't an easy task. They don't plan on talking about it to anyone who asks.

Al responds, "Yeah. The smell of Spring at home." Alphonse is happy to return home. Sure, he had fun being on the other side of the Gate. He was reunited with his brother, finally, and he couldn't have asked for anything else in the world. But he was homesick. He missed Winry, Rose, and the others. He missed Risembool.

Al stumbles a little from carrying Ed. When they passed through the Gate, Ed's prosthetic limbs from Germany didn't function anymore. That's why they are on their way to visit Winry, so Ed can get automail again.

Ed just turned twenty this year, and surprisingly, he grew a couple of inches again. Ed actually can't wait to get his automail back. Sure, human flesh feels much better than cold metal, but Winry's automail is better than what he had in Germany, in his opinion. She designs it special just for him, and he enjoys sparring with Al after he gets new automail; however, Winry screams at him because he will most likely break it again.

Al stumbles again. He sighs, "Good thing we are almost at Winry's house. If we had to travel much farther I just might drop you."

Ed says, "Hey, I wish I can walk! I'm sorry." Edward frowns. He thinks back to those couple of times when he was helpless because he damaged his automail. He's going to make sure he doesn't damage them again. "Once we get to Winry's house I'll get new automail, and you'll never have to carry me again!"

Al laughs, "Yeah, right! Until you go out and break it again like usual."

Ed became stern with his words. "No, Al. I have no reason to break it anymore. There's no more fighting to do, so no reason for me to go out and be careless."

Al chuckles. His brother actually admits that he is careless. "Still, I wish there is some way we wouldn't have to worry about automail again. Maybe we could…".

"No. No more Philosopher Stones, or anything of the type," Ed interrupts. He looks up and says, "There are just some sins that you can't get rid of….".

Alphonse frowns and continues walking.

One Hour Later

"Hey, Brother?" Al says.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ed responds.

"Do you think Winry will… you know… let us live with her until we gather enough money to build our own house?"

Ed gives him an odd look. "Who says we are _building_ a house? Did you plan this out already or something?"

"Well, not really, but wouldn't it be nice to live back here again in the country where it's peaceful? We could build a house right next to Winry!"

Ed thinks to himself for a couple of seconds. He thought of every other place him and his brother could live at. 'Being close to Winry would be nice… since she never really got to see us much after we left many years ago. I guess we owe it to her.'

Ed smiles, "Yeah, that would be nice. I mean, where else can we go? I sure as hell am not living in Central or East City! I need to stay as far away from Mustang and his toadies. If we go to Rush Valley, Winry will move and live with us and make us go broke! I'm never going back to Xenotime. Russell will just call me a shrimp, even though I swear I'm probably as tall as him now! Aquroya has probably sunk, and Liore is in the middle of the desert. Yep, we are staying in Risembool!" Ed laughs, almost cackles, and then takes in deep breaths after that long speech.

Alphonse breathes in heavily, and then breathes out. "Brother, was all that really necessary? All you really had to say was yes or no. But oh… I guess I forgot… you're Edward Elric the Full Metal Alchemist, and you wouldn't be you without explaining everything."

Edward hits his brother on the top of his head.

"Owww," Alphonse cries, "That really hurt, Edward!"

Ed growls, "Well it's nice to know that you think of me in that way! But Al…". Ed talks more quietly, "I'm not the Full Metal Alchemist anymore. I haven't been a part of the military for over four years. Now I'm just Edward Elric."

"Don't put it in that way, Brother. People will always remember you by that name when they think back on all the great things you've done for Amestris," Al smiles softly.

"Heh," Ed blurts. That is all he says. For some reason he can't think of a response to that. Maybe because he doesn't think everything he did was actually beneficial to the people, but just caused even more pain…

A couple of hours later, around 7 P.M.

"Al, remind me again. How many days has it been since we passed through the Gate and are trying to make it to Winry's house?" Edward moaned.

Al pants, "Today… is… the fourth… day…". 'And I'm about to pass out from carrying you!' Al thinks to himself.

"And how many times did we attempt to hitchhike?"

Sighing, Al says, "I… ran out of… fingers to… count."

"Ergh… Al, are we there yet?" Ed whines. He starts squirming in Al's arms, so Al gets a tighter grip on him.

Al looks into the distance ahead of them, and squints his eyes. He sees a large wooden sign with words painted with white paint. The sign reads "Rockbell Automail". Al's mouth curves into a wide grin as he says, "As a matter of fact, we are!"

Ed whips his head around, and he sees Winry's house. Ed taps his brother's shoulder, "Hurry Al! We're here! Run!"

Al starts to walk at a faster pace. "Are you kidding! I can barely walk this fast! Why don't you get up and start hopping? You'd probably beat me!" Al yells.

Inside Winry's house, she is upstairs cleaning up her work area. She was about to walk down the stairs to finish her dinner until she heard loud noises.

"Is that… yelling?" She says to herself.

Ed cocks one eyebrow, "What does that mean? ………… You just wanna laugh at me! Run!"

Al rolls his eyes and begins to run. He doesn't understand how he has this much energy to run, but he just keeps running. About two minutes later, he reaches the steps to the front porch. He stands for a second to catch his breath. Slowly, he puts one leg in front of the other and walks up the steps. "I never knew… walking up steps would be… this hard!" Al manages to say.

Al walks to the door and says, "You knock. My hands are full."

Winry walks into another room and walks out onto the deck off of the room. She leans over the railing. She was about to yell something until she heard knocking on the door.

Ed reaches over and bangs the door three times. Al couldn't stand anymore. They haven't had much to eat or drink, so he was about to pass out. He takes one step backwards and starts stumbling.

"Al…," Edward says with concern.

"Ed, I'm going to fall!" Al forgot the steps were behind him, and he feels himself falling backwards.

_BOOM!_

Al crashed down the stairs and onto the ground taking Edward with him. Ed smashed into the ground face first, and Al is on top of his back.

"My… back…," Ed squeaks painfully.

Winry rushed downstairs to open the door. She walks out and looks down the stairs. Her eyes light up. "Alphonse? Is that you!" She says. She looks under Al, noticing he was on top of something. Winry jumps. Tears _almost_ form in her eyes.

"Edward!"


	2. A Story to Tell

Winry practically leaps off the stairs to welcome Ed and Al. She grabs Al's arms to help him up. She gives him a big hug. Al hugs her back, holding her very tight.

"I missed you so much," she says. She let her arms fall to her side, but Al was still holding on to her. "Al, are you okay?"

Al half smiles, "If you knew what I've gone through for the past couple of days with my brother… I'm lucky I can even stand." He finally lets go, wobbles over to the stairs, and sits down almost falling again. He takes in many breaths trying to gain back all the air he wish he had while carrying Edward.

Winry was so happy to see Al that she forgot Edward was laying on the ground. He grunts as he pushes himself up with his one arm and sits back on his behind. Winry immediately kneels on the ground and embraces Ed in a hug. Ed almost falls back from her actions.

"Welcome back," she smiles. Ed doesn't hug her back considering it might be weird hugging her with just one arm. He doesn't know what to think at the moment. Him and Al just came back through the Gate a couple of days ago, they've been walking for miles for over 72 hours, Al just fell on top of him smashing his face into the ground and hurting his back once again, and now Winry is hugging him.

Ed was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice Winry was staring at him. He gulps, "What?"

Winry asks, "Why do you only have one arm and one leg?"

Ed panics. 'Great! I was hoping I wouldn't have to get hit by another wrench ever again! I'm already in enough pain. Maybe she'll go easy on me.'

"Please don't get mad at me. It wasn't my fault. Remember two years ago when that flying contraption crashed, and I tried to stand up but I fell back down? The limbs from the other side of the Gate don't work in our world. So when we came through the Gate again, those limbs didn't work anymore. You see? So it really isn't my fault. We actually came back here so you can give me automail since yours is the best," Ed spits out. He talked so fast neither Winry nor Al actually understood half of it.

She pulls a handkerchief out of her pocket and wipes the dirt off of Ed's face, since Al did smash it in the ground. "As long as you're okay that's all the matters," she says.

Ed slightly blushes. He has never really made "physical contact" with Winry except when she puts his automail on him and when she rarely hugs him like she just did. She shoves the handkerchief back into her pocket and notices Ed's slightly red face.

Winry giggles as she stands up. "I guess you guys have a lot of explaining to do. Let's go inside," she says. She grabs Ed's arm with one and hand wraps her other arm around his waist. Even though Al is already completely exhausted, he stands up to help Winry. They lift Ed up and into the house.

Winry closes the door while Al lays Ed on the couch. She laughs, "You two look famished. How about I make some dinner, and we can sit on the couch while you tell me everything that happened?"

Ed says, "That sounds great, but where is Granny?"

Just as Ed asks that question Pinako walks from around the corner. "I'm glad somebody missed me," Pinako says, ending with a grin.

Ed grins back. "Granny Pinako. Long time no see."

Pinako walks closer to Edward and takes a good look at him. Noticing that one of his sleeves is flat and one pant leg is flat, she laughs, "Well, still getting into trouble I see? You haven't changed one bit."

"I didn't do it…," Ed quietly moans.

"Good thing Winry has been working on your automail. I'm eager to see how much you've grown."

Ed props himself up and yells, "Who are you callin' a super tiny… wait a minute. She was working on my automail? Why?"

"Your automail design has always been her favorite. She enjoys every minute she has building it. Ever since you left, she started making spin-offs of your design for some of her special customers. She has missed you two so much, especially you, Ed. Even though she doesn't say anything, I can tell in her eyes that she worries about you every day."

After Pinako stopped talking, Al's snores could be heard. Ed and Pinako both laugh quietly. Both of them also noticed Winry hasn't been in the room for a couple of minutes. She came back holding some things in her hand.

"You actually came just in time. I got really bored one day and started rebuilding your automail. It's almost finished. I just have to clean it up a little, so I'll do that tonight. Pinako will put these on you for tonight," Winry says. She hands two hard plastic prosthetic limbs to Pinako and goes back into the kitchen to finish dinner.

Winry set the table for four and put plates in front of each. "Dinner is ready!" she yells.

Ed and Al immediately jump up and seat themselves. Pinako smiles, "I'm not very hungry. I think you three have some catching up to do. I'll be upstairs." She goes upstairs.

Winry made a huge homecoming dinner for Ed and Al. Chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, and much more. She sets all the bowls on the table. Food starts flying everywhere; however, Ed is the one eating like a pig.

She sighs, "Same old Edward. Always eats like a pig." Winry began to eat the plate she saved for herself, knowing there wouldn't be any food left.

It only took Ed and Al a little over 10 minutes to finish eating. Ed pats his stomach, "That hit the spot. Soooooo good."

Al smiles, "Your cooking is very good, Winry!"

She smiles, "Thanks, Al. Let's go sit on the couch and let our food digest."

Ed and Al nod and sit next to each other on the couch. Winry pulls up a chair and sits across from them so she can look at them.

"So, tell me everything! I have no clue what's happened to you guys for almost four years," Winry says with excitement.

"Well, where to begin…," Ed grins.

Ed and Al talked for almost four hours, mostly Ed. He was so excited to tell Winry about the other side of the Gate, Germany, Alfons Heiderich, the war, flying machines, and so much more. Ed and Al told her _almost_ everything; however, some things they decided to keep to themselves because no one else should have to know. Winry paid so much attention to their fascinating story, but half the time she was just looking at Edward. She has strong feelings for him, but she's afraid to tell him because he might break her heart. She thinks Ed doesn't have those same feelings for her, but it doesn't bother her. As long as they can still be friends, she will stay content.

Winry frowns, "You guys aren't leaving again, are you?"

Ed smiles sweetly, "Aw Winry, turn that frown upside down. We aren't leaving anymore. I think Al and I have had enough adventures."

Winry loves Ed's smile. Not that scary smile, but that smile where he shows care. She does what he says and smiles. "That's good," she says.

"So Winry, what has happened in Amestris? I'm sure this world has changed somewhat," Ed asks.

Winry opens her mouth to speak, but she closes it. So much has happened, but Winry just got an idea. She grins, "There is a lot that happened, but let's save that story for tomorrow. It's almost midnight, and you two look exhausted."

Winry led them upstairs to an extra bedroom. There are two twin size beds, dressers, and a window that gives a great view of Risembool. Winry's house is full of automail parts, but it still looks so nice and decorated.

"You guys can have this bedroom. Now that I think about it, where are you two going to live?" Winry questions.

Al says, "We are going to build a house in Risembool. Winry, would it be okay if we live next to you?"

Ed butts in, "I had no say in this idea. Al just told it to me today."

Winry smiles, "I would be very happy if you stayed by me. Well, I'm going to go finish your automail. G'night Al. G'night Ed."

"Wait, Winry. Aren't you going to bed too?" Ed asks.

Winry shakes her head. "No. I'm almost done with your automail. I want it to be ready for you in the morning. Oh yeah, that reminds me. Give me your clothes!" She holds out her hand in a demanding way.

Ed's face turns red. He yells, "What! Why do you want my clothes?"

She sighs, "So I can WASH them. Al, give me yours too."

Ed and Al took off their shoes and threw them next to the beds. Ed took off his vest, white shirt, and pants so he was just left in his blue boxers. Al took off his black pants and black shirt so he was just left in… go figure… blue boxers as well. Haha, brothers. Winry is just standing there puzzled. 'Ok, why are they just standing there in their underpants? I don't have all night ya know.' Ed looked over at Al and winked at him. Al gives him a confused look, but he gets it. Ed and Al chuck their clothes at Winry.

"Eek!" Winry shrieks. She only catches about half their clothes, the rest on the ground or on her head. Ed and Al burst out laughing. Ed fell onto his bed holding his stomach. Winry picked the clothes off of the floor and off her head. She looks like she wants to cry, laugh, and yell.

"Goodnight boys!" Winry yells nicely, slamming the door.

"Phew! That was funny," Ed said.

Al says, "It was mean too, but she looked like she wanted to laugh. It's so good to be home."

"Yeah, it sure is…".

"Those boys…" Winry sighs. She throws their clothes next to Ed's automail. Before she starts on that, she has to make phone calls. A lot of phone calls. She dials the first number.

A voice clicks on the other end, "Mustang speaking…".

Winry says, "Hi Mr. Mustang. It's Winry Rockbell."

"Oh hi Miss Rockbell. You do realize it is past midnight. Are you okay?" Roy asks with concern.

"I'm really really sorry I'm calling so late. I'm fine. I have two boys… well, I guess you could call them men now… staying at my house, and I think I need your help with something…".


	3. Of Automail

Edward expected to be woken up by the bright blazing sun, but he can only see a little bit of the sun through his closed eyelids. He opens his eyes and looks across the room at the window. Alphonse is standing in front of it, gazing out at the countryside. Ed makes a noise to alert Alphonse that he's awake.

Al turns his head to look at Ed. "Good morning, Brother," he says.

"Yeah. What are you looking at?" Ed asks.

Al looks back out the window. "Winry sure does work hard…," Al smiles.

Ed immediately gets off his bed to look out the window with Al. Ed's automail and some other supplies are laid neatly on a blanket. Winry is hanging up Ed and Al's clothes on the line to dry. Winry went back to wearing her black tube top and purple work suit with the top half tied around her waist. Al notices Ed smiling calmly and staring at Winry.

Al laughs, "Remember all those times we use to argue about who gets to marry Winry?"

Ed chuckles, "Heh, yeah. We argued about that a lot when we were kids, didn't we?"

"Well, I think you win," Al smirks.

Ed jumps back. He stutters, "Wh-what!"

Al grins, "I know you like Winry! I can just tell in your eyes! I've heard you say her name in your sleep!"

"So now you're a psychic?"

"Oh, so you're saying I'm right?" Al questions.

Ed shakes his hands, "No no you're not right! Winry is just a friend!"

"A really really good friend! Maybe more than a friend…" Al eggs on.

Ed folds his arms. He states, "She is just a friend, nothing more, nothing less. Quit this nonsense!"

"You have a crush on her! Maybe more!"

"No I don't!" Ed screams for almost everyone to hear.

Winry looks up from hanging the clothes. She sighs, "Arguing already? Sometimes I think that's all they are capable of doing."

Al yells, "You're lying! Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying! Quit making up this nonsense!" Ed is getting really frustrated. He hates when Al talks about girls like that, especially Winry. He's keeping his feelings for Winry to himself and that's it. Ed thinks 'I forgot we are in a world with alchemy. What am I doing!'. Pretty soon, sparks of alchemy could be seen inside of the Rockbell house.

Winry looks up again. This time she yells very strictly, "Edward and Alphonse Elric! Get down here right now!"

They obviously didn't hear her. The alchemic light can still be seen. Winry yells in a tone that makes her sound like a homicidal killer.

"EDWARD ELRIC!" The light stopped. All Winry hears are footsteps stomping down the stairs. Ed and Al walk out the door but different ways. Ed walks towards Winry and Al walks behind the house. Al hit a spot in Ed's heart that he is still uncertain of.

As Ed walks closer to Winry he waits for her to ask what they were fighting about. Her face looks red with much anger, but then she bursts out laughing.

That deer-in-the-headlights look made its way onto Edward's face. He mutters, "What's so funny?"

Winry tries to talk while laughing, but it's very hard. "Your…hair," she laughs.

Ed blinks and feels the top on his head. His hair feels a little messy, but how is that funny? Winry picks up Ed's automail arm and holds it up to his face. He looks at his reflection in the automail and… holy shit! Al turned his hair rainbow colors! He looks like he's wearing a clown wig at a carnival. Ed growls and swears under his breath. He claps his hands and transmutes his hair back to its original golden color.

Winry says, "Your clothes are still wet, but they should be dry in a while. I figured it would be cool to hook up your automail out here so you can sleep in the sun. It took me all night, but I finished. I hope you like it." She sets the arm back on the blanket so he can take a good look at it. Before he looks at the automail, he takes a quick glance at her face. She does look a little tired, but not that much. He diverts his attention back to the automail. It looks even shinier than ever.

"The design is almost the same as your original one. I had to make a couple of adjustments, and I changed some other things just to experiment. Oh yeah, and I made it even lighter than last time just to warn you. An automail mechanic from Rush Valley sent me a letter a couple of months ago saying heavy automail makes you grow slower. So I tried to make it as light and durable as I could," Winry states. She is so proud of her automail and still takes any chance she can get to gloat it.

Ed lowered his head so she couldn't see his face. 'Once I get my automail on and stand up, no one will have any more short jokes to make!' He began making his own grave in his head.

"Thanks for being considerate," Ed grumbles. He sits down on the blanket, and a random thought enters his mind. "Hey Winry? I just noticed I haven't seen Den. Where is she?"

Judging by Winry's sad face and silence, Ed figures she died. Winry kneels down next to Ed's side and takes off the substitute prosthetics. She eventually connects his new automail onto his body, and he only groans a little from the pain. She hates seeing him in pain, even something as simple as connecting automail. Winry has had her share of pain in life, but it's nothing compared to Ed's. She wishes he could share his pain with her to take off the load. She lays him down on the blanket as he falls into a deep sleep.

A little over an hour later…

Pinako is standing behind the house, puffing as usual, looking out at the hills of Risembool. Al walks up next to her.

She sighs, "Fighting already? I hope you two don't plan on destroying our house with your alchemy every time you argue. I just might make you sleep outside."

"Granny, I want to ask you something. Has Winry… well… uh… Ed…," Al blurts, not making much sense. He's not sure how to word it.

Pinako laughs, "I think I know what you're trying to say. Winry mentioned Ed every once in a while as the days passed. When I passed her room a couple of times during the night, I saw her standing in front of her window and praying that Ed is alive and safe and that maybe she would get to see him one last time. At one point she told me she thought she loved him. She has only had one boyfriend since you two have been gone, but it didn't last for long." She takes a big puff.

Al's jaw dropped. He guessed that Winry liked Ed a little more than a friend, but loves him! Al is good at reading his brother, but not when it comes to his feelings for others.

He asks, "Why didn't the relationship last long?"

Pinako smiles, "She told him she was trying to rid herself of feelings she had for someone who would never come back to her, but she couldn't seem to get rid of those feelings."

"Feelings for… Edward?"

Pinako nods.

Al jumps up and down with joy. "I knew it! I knew Ed likes Winry, and Winry likes Ed! He just won't stop denying it! He would talk about her, and say her name in his sleep, and wish he had Winry's automail again, and there were a lot of girls where we were that I think Ed might take interest in, but he didn't! He has never been on a date or anything! I started thinking he just doesn't like girls period…".

"Slow down son. Can't even understand half of what you just blabbed," Pinako laughs.

"There's only one problem…," Al begins to say, but Pinako finished his statement.

"Neither of them will admit their feelings to each other. Ed is so stubborn, and Winry is afraid of getting her heart broken."

Al questions, "So how can we get them to admit their feelings to each other? Both of them will die and not tell each other how they really feel."

"Do you really want to get yourself involved in this? Love is not to be toyed with. If they never tell each other, then it wasn't meant to be," She says sternly.

"That's not what I meant, Granny. They just need a boost. Ed won't even tell me, his own brother, how he feels! If he can't even tell me, how will he tell the girl he likes!"

Pinako yawns, "I don't know. We just better think of something quick. I want great-grandchildren before my time is up." She starts walking to the front of the house to check up on Edward.

"Granny!" Alphonse runs after her.

Winry walks outside to check on Ed and the clothes. She feels Ed and Al's clothes, and both of them are dry. She takes them off the line and folds them neatly. She wants to wake Ed up, but he should be waking up soon anyway. 'He has such a nice body build, and those muscles… hah, probably from all that fighting he has done. I figured that automail would be too big for him, but I guess he did grow. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.' She kneels down very close to Ed to get a good look at his face.

"Oh Edward, if only you knew what feelings I have for you, and if you could return them," she sweetly sings to the sleeping alchemist. She pushes the bangs hanging over his face out of the way. "Whatever you do, please don't leave again. Or if you do, don't promise me that you'll come back when I know you won't. My heart can't take it anymore. Don't think that you're the only one that has… oh never mind." She picks up a bit of his hair and lets it slide through her fingers. 'It's… so soft…'. She picks up more hair and just feels the softness.

Pinako and Alphonse walk around to the front of the house and find Winry next to Ed. Winry's back is facing them, so Pinako motions to Al to be quiet so Winry and Edward don't see or hear them.

"Perhaps they won't need a boost," Pinako suggests.

Winry is too deep in thought and feeling the softness of Ed's hair that she didn't realize he has woken up, or that he was actually awake while she was talking to him.

"Eh… Winry… what are you doing?" Ed speaks. A little blush crosses his cheeks.

Her bubble of thought just popped, and she looks down at Edward to see he is looking straight at her. Her whole face turns the brightest red.

She jumps up. "Edward! You're awake! I was… uh… well I just wanted to see if you're awake, and… er…," Winry blurts out. Winry turns around very slowly because she heard a little laugh. "How long were you two standing there?"

"Long enough," Al grins.

Winry picks up Al's clothes and chucks them at him. "Here, put on your clothes. You look like you want bad attention when you just walk around with just boxers."

Pinako pushes Al into the house with her. Al yells 'Thank you for my clothes!' while being dragged inside. Winry turns back to Ed, who is just staring at her with that confused look. Her face lights up red again. She helps him stand up.

"How does it feel?" Winry asks Ed.

He moves his automail around and takes a good look at it. 'It's even better than before. So much lighter and reflective.'

"It's great, Winry," he smiles. His smile makes her face turn even redder. She picks up his clothes and hands them to him. Once he gets to his vest, she stands in front of him and buttons it up for him. She looks up at him and notices he… has to slightly tilt his head down to look at her. Oh no!

"Oh, no…," Winry panics.

Ed grins that scary grin, "Oh, yes! I have grown! No more short jokes!" He raves on about not being short anymore and blah blah blah.

Winry laughs, "So you started drinking milk?"

He moans, "No, I _still_ hate milk. Just face the fact that I grew!"

"You're still shorty to me." Ed growls. He is about to start one of his "Who are you calling so short that…" whines until Winry grabs his hair tie and starts pulling his hair back.

She sets her hands on his shoulders. "There, all done," she says. Before she goes into the house, she says in a seductive voice, "Glad you lost the braid. You look more attractive this way." She pats his shoulder and walks into the house. Ed just stands there puzzled. He walks into the house as well, thinking about everything Winry said while he was laying there.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

I work an average of 8 hours a day, 4 days a week (for now). So you can see it will take me a while to update sometimes. I forgot to put the disclaimer at the beginning of my story (because I'm stupid and just realized it now) but you already know I don't own full Metal Alchemist. Ed and Al wear their movie clothes in this story and I'll probably describe what Winry wears each time. I was going to make this chapter longer, even though it wasn't going to be this long, but I wanted to post this much or else I wouldn't have an update for another week. Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far. The next chapter will be fun. Maybe we'll see what Winry was up to the other night… please review!


	4. Old Friendships Renewed

It's about 3 weeks later. The Elric brothers have just about settled back in to Risembool. Ed had his money in Central transferred to a bank in Risembool so that he won't have to make any trips out there unless he had to. Ed and Al still don't have jobs, but Ed is looking into it. Pinako is telling them to still relax since they've gone through so much.

Alphonse quietly twists the doorknob, and the door to the room he shares with Edward creaks open. He walks inside to hear his brother in his bed breathing heavily. 'It's already noon and you're still sleeping?' Alphonse is about to let his brother sleep some more until he heard his brother making noises.

"Win…ry…" Ed moans. Alphonse searches around the room to make sure Winry really isn't in the room. Ed tosses and turns in his bed. Al walks to the side of his bed and look at Ed's face. He looks like he's been having a good dream. Al wants to let Ed continue his dream, but hearing him repeat Winry's name over and over again is cracking him up. 'I know this is not like me at all, and it is really mean, but I'll never get this chance again.

"Oh Edward, stop it! You're tickling me," Al giggles, attempting to sound like Winry. He's starting to crack himself up even more, but laughing would give him away, and Ed would wake up.

"Sorry… Winry… but your skin is… so soft," Ed smiles.

"Edward, there's something I've been meaning to ask your for a long time. Do you love me?" Alphonse decided it was time to stop, even though he is starting to have some fun.

"Yes, I love you so much… Winry. But do you love me back?" Ed turns onto his back, still sleeping happily.

Alphonse sighs before he begins to talk again. He yells, "EDWARD, I LOVE YOU!"

Ed jumps in his bed. He grins and opens his eyes slowly. He expected to see Winry when he wakes up, but he sees Al instead. His grin slowly turns to a scowl.

"Did you have sweet dreams, Brother?" Al blows a kiss. 'Wow, I feel kinda evil.'

"Alphonse!"

Winry is cleaning up her workstation, getting ready for a customer to pick up automail for his father. Yet again, she hears banging from upstairs. Pinako sighs. She walks upstairs to end these arguments.

Ed and Al stop when they hear the door slam open and their names being yelled. "Edward and Alphonse! Stop this bickering right now!" Al lets go of Ed's hair, which he was pulling a couple of seconds ago. "No more! Edward, you are 20 years old yet you still act like you're 16! Both of you need to quit this feud that keeps happening in my house! I have a guess about what you're squabbling about, and I only have two things to say about it." Pinako turns to Edward. "If it bothers you that much, then do something about it!" Then she turns to Alphonse. "Didn't you listen to me before? Quit getting involved or you'll screw everything up!" She slams the door closed, leaving the two brothers alone.

Both of them sigh. Ed begins to put his clothes on. Al apologizes, "I'm sorry, Ed. I just came in to wake you up because it was already noon."

Ed scowls, "You should be sorry. I can't believe you did that. Since when did you become so evil!"

"I told you I'm sorry. I just…" Al trails off.

Ed slides his shoes on. "You just what? Just say it!"

Al walks to the door and opens it. "I just think you should confront her before someone else does who feels the same way about her. You know, she did have one boyfriend who really liked her while we were gone? And he is coming today to pick up some automail."

"Did she now? Why aren't they still together? What happened?" Ed questions.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? All I'm saying is don't wait. You'll miss your chance and regret it for life." Al closes the door and goes downstairs to join Winry and an angry Pinako.

Ed opens the door and stands in the doorframe. 'I really don't know how to harmonize with these feelings. But Al is right.' He walks downstairs to an uneasy crowd. Al looks low-spirited, Pinako looks irritated, and Winry looks anxious.

Ed is about to lighten up the air, but someone knocks on the door. Ed decides to answer the door this time. He opens it, and a man about 2-3 years older than him is standing there. He has silky brown hair and ocean blue eyes. To Ed's dismay, he looks about 6 feet tall. They stare at each other. 'This must be Winry's ex. It definitely is…'

Winry walks next to Ed. "Hi Michael. Come on in. I have the automail in the back room." She lightly pushes Ed out of the way. She whispers to him, "Move and let my customer come in!"

"You look pretty as usual, Winry, even in your work clothes," Michael laughs. "Thanks for cleaning up my old man's automail. I still don't understand why he only lets my mother put it on him, but I guess I'll never find out."

Ed rolls his eyes.

Winry says, "Michael, I have two people I want you to meet. I'm sure you remember my two childhood friends I told you about. This is Edward and Alphonse Elric." Al smiles and waves. Ed's arms are crossed, and he has that "I'm way better than you!" face on.

Michael smiles, "Yes, Winry has told me so much about you two, especially you, Edward. The Full Metal Alchemist, right?"

"Use to be, but not anymore," Ed spats. "So, Michael, what kind of job do you have?" 'He doesn't look like he's from here. If he's a military official, I'm running like Hell.'

"I'm a gemologist. I study gems, help dig them up, and I own the big jewelry store in Central," Michael states.

'Shit, Central. Didn't know Winry went for the filthy rich, uptight, rude…' Winry interrupts Ed's thoughts.

"Let's go into the back room. I'll get that automail so you won't have to stay around here for long. Oh, Ed and Al, there are nice dress clothes in your room. Please clean yourselves up and be ready by 6:30. We have somewhere to go tonight," Winry says. Michael follows her to the back room. They leave the door open just a crack.

Ed looks at his brother and Pinako. "What the hell was that? Oh, I'm Michael. I'm a gemologist, and I'm rich, and I own the most expensive jewelry store, and all the girls just looooooove me."

"Jealous?" Pinako taunts.

"Ew," Ed says.

Its been about 10 minutes, and Winry and Michael are still in the back room. The faint sound of talking can be heard.

"Its been over 10 minutes. Does it take that long to pay for automail?" Ed complains. He walks to the door to see what they are up to. He hears Winry's voice, but she sounds upset. He opens the door a little bit more so he can listen. Al and Pinako back away, not wanting anything to do with this.

"Michael, how many times do I have to tell you? I can't get back together with you. I just can't," Winry says.

"Winry, what if this person you have feelings for doesn't like you back? Please don't tell me… don't tell me it's that little guy out there?" Michael questions.

Ed bunches up his fists, but before he could knock down the door, Al holds him back.

"I just want to be friends."

Michael speaks in a harsher tone, "I don't get it. I have enough money for us to live off of. I want to have kids. Winry, I love you."

Winry turns away, "I don't have those same feelings for you. It wouldn't be fair to both of us. You have the automail, just go." As Winry turns around, Michael grabs her shoulders and pulls her close. He smothers her lips with his own, trying to pull her closer and closer. Winry pushes him away and tries to slap him across the face but he catches her wrist. He grabs her other wrist and pushes her against the wall.

"Just listen to me Winry. Give me another chance," he pleads. He begins to kiss her again, pushing her harder against the cold wall.

Ed's jaw drops. Al whispers, "Ed, let her deal with her own problems. She doesn't need you butting in all the time."

"Stop! You're hurting me!" Winry cries through unwanted kisses.

"That's it!" Ed yells. He kicks the door open, grabs Michael's shirt, and punches him right in the face with his automail arm. Winry runs out of the room. "What the hell do you think you're doing hurting her!" Ed yells at Michael.

Michael tries to push Ed away. "I wasn't trying to…". Ed punches him in the chest this time.

"If you really do love her, you wouldn't hurt her!" Ed picks him up by his shirt and drags him out of the room and to the front door.

"Ed, stop!" Winry says. He just ignores her, paying all of his attention to Michael. She looks at her wrists that look beet red from Michael's grasp.

Ed slams the front door open and throws Michael out. Ed then goes into the back room, grabs the bag full of the automail for his father, and throws it at him. "Winry deserves way better than you! Consider yourself lucky that I didn't hurt you more! Oh, and by the way, you're not one of Winry's customers anymore!" Ed walks back into the house and bangs the door closed. He looks out the window at Michael. Michael picks up the heavy bag full of metal and walks down the road holding his face the entire time.

Ed turns around and looks at Winry. He's unsure of what to say. Pinako and Al are both being quiet.

Winry opens up first. "Why were you eavesdropping, Edward? It was none of your business!"

"He was hurting you, Winry. I couldn't let him keep doing that to you. Don't tell me you use to go out with an abusive boyfriend." Ed said concerned.

Tears fill up in Winry's eyes. She breaks down, "No Edward, he was not an abusive boyfriend. He never hurt me physically or emotionally. But you… you've been hurting me emotionally for a good part of my life!" She runs upstairs to her room and closes the door.

"That's it. Now I need a vacation. I'm going to Rush Valley to visit some old friends like I planned to do weeks ago. I'll be back in a week," Pinako says. She grabs a little bag she packed a while ago and heads for the train station.

"Great, we chased Granny out of the house," Al sighs.

Ed doesn't say anything. He is shocked from what Winry said, and also very hurt. He doesn't understand how he's been hurting her. Maybe from leaving all the time and not coming back for months or even years caused some pain. Ed knocked on her door every hour, begging her to come out and talk to him. She wouldn't answer…

Around 6:30 P.M….

Al finishes getting dressed. He walks out into the hallway, and Winry opens her door just as he passes her room. He turns around. "Oh, Winry… you kept my old clothes. It's almost as if you knew we'd be coming back." Al is wearing olive green pants, vest, and a white shirt underneath, old clothes from last time he was here.

"Do they fit okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, they fit perfectly," Al smiles. 'Either I haven't grown, my clothes were too big, or I've shrunk' Al thinks.

"I saw Granny leave. She finally left for Rush Valley. Guess that just leaves the three of us for the week," Winry smiles weakly.

"Guess so. You look really nice. Why are we dressing up? And where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," Winry assures.

"Ok then. I'll just wait outside. Ed is still getting ready."

Winry nods and walks to Ed's room. She knocks on the door, and Ed immediately speaks. "Al, I'm almost ready! I just can't find a tie!" Winry went out and bought Ed new dress clothes. She bought black pants, black vest, and a white shirt for underneath. They look like what he wears already, except much cleaner and newer. Winry opens the door, holding Ed's tie in her hand.

He chuckles, "Well, guess that solves… my… problem." Ed almost can't finish what he is saying. 'She looks pretty… no… beautiful!' She has on a long, strapless navy blue dress with high heels (but not too high because she knows if her shoes make her taller than Ed then he will get mad). She left her hair down, flowing past her shoulders. Ed looks up and down her whole body, not able to look away. He was so use to seeing Winry in work clothes, or sundresses when she was younger.

"Winry! You look… I can't even find a word. But uh, thanks for the new clothes. You didn't have to buy them for me. I can pay you back," he says a little too fast. Winry shrugs and throws the tie on the dresser, figuring he won't need it. She walks up to him to straighten his shirt. "Win, about what happened earlier…" Ed started.

She puts her finger over his lips. "I want to thank you for standing up for me. No one has ever done that before," she says.

"Winry, I would stand up for you any day. I'll always protect you and make sure no one hurts you, I promise," Ed smiles.

Winry looks up at him and smiles back. She looks like she wants to say more, but she doesn't. She simply takes his hand and leads him outside to join Alphonse. The three of them walk into the more crowded part of Risembool. New stores have been built, new houses, a school, and new faces walk around. Ed and Al rarely went into town.

They reach the town hall, and Winry makes them wait for a second. She opens the door to peek in. She closes it and looks at the two brothers. They look back at her as if waiting for her to do something. She smiles and pushes both doors open. The three of them walk in, and Ed and Al's jaws drop. There are tables set up everywhere, decorated and all. The hall looks bigger on the inside, and it is so neatly decorated. In a corner, a band is also setting up their instruments. Dozens of people are sitting at the tables, and all of them either yell "Surprise!" or "Welcome back!" Most of the people in the room were also surprised. They didn't know who this party was for, but now they do.

Ed and Al are crying on the inside. Al says, "It's all of our friends and people we met…"

"…On our search for the stone," Ed finishes.

Winry quickly walks over to Roy. She wants to give Ed and Al a second to take all of this in. She tells Roy, "Thank you for helping me invite all of these people. I understand that not everyone could come. I don't think they will forget this night. And sorry for calling past midnight that one day. I wanted to plan this as quickly as possible so they wouldn't find out."

Roy nods, "Just make sure they come to this table first."

"Yes, sir," Winry smiles and salutes jokingly. She walks back over to the Elric brothers. She says, "I hope you guys have fun tonight. Just go around from table to table and talk to everyone." She pushes them over to the first table, which is full of military personnel. Winry walks over to other tables to talk.

Ed walks up to Roy. Roy gets up to shake Ed's hand. While shaking Roy's hand, Ed says, "You still didn't lose the eye patch. You look like a pirate, and it's very tempting to pull and snap on your face." He grins and lets go of Roy's hand. He waits for one of Roy's smart-ass remarks.

Roy smiles, "Welcome back, Edward. Hopefully you're not leaving again."

"Nope. I'm here to stay."

"You know, I'm very interested in what's happened to you these past four years."

Ed shakes his head. "I think it would be best if no one knew."

"Hello Edward and Alphonse," says a voice behind Roy. It's Riza. She looks pretty tonight as well wearing a dark purple dress with her hair down.

"Been keeping Mustang in shape I can see," Ed laughs.

She shrugs, "Someone has to."

Ed and Al are about to sit down, but Havoc, Fuery, Breda, Falman, Ross, Sciezka, and some others tackle them. Armstrong plows through them, picks up the Elric brothers, and squeezes them. "Oh Edward and Alphonse Elric how I've missed you so," he cries. He puts them down after breaking all of their bones.

"We'll come back to this table later," Ed says as he drags Al to the next one. There was one person not sitting at that table that Ed wishes was there, but somehow he feels him looking down now and greeting him. Rose is seated at the next table with her child.

"Edward!" Rose gasps. Last time she saw him, she was carrying Wrath out of the ruins that use to be Central. Edward never came out from those ruins, but she had a feeling in the back of her throat that he wasn't going to. She gets up and gives both Ed and Al a hug. "I thought I'd never see both of you again."

"I never thought I'd see this place again," Ed smiles, "But I was wrong."

"Have you been well?"

"We've been well. How have you been, Rose?" Ed asks.

"I'm living a happy life with my child. Even though I'm surrounded with such nice people in Lior, I'm lonely sometimes, if you know what I mean. Although, seeing the two of you alive makes me warm. Thank you for all those fun times, Edward."

"Yeah," Ed says. Ed and Al move to the next table. Before they get there, Ed asks Al, "Why are you being so quiet? You haven't said much since we got here."

Al shrugs, "Even though this surprise was for both of us, this is your night, Edward. You haven't been here for four years. I want you to enjoy it."

"Edward Elric!"

Ed jerks toward the call of his name. He grins, "Well well well, Russell and Fletcher."

Russell states, "You never did come out alive."

Fletcher points to Alphonse. "Who is that?" Al just stands and smiles.

"It's me, Alphonse," Al smiles.

Russell jumps, "The suit of armor? But you have flesh!" Russell looks at Ed. "You made the stone, and it worked!"

Ed frowns, "Wrong, Russell. We didn't make the stone. The stone was made before you gave me that paper from your father's journal. We just ended up getting it even though we didn't want it made."

Russell looks down, "I'm sorry."

Ed tries to lighten things up. "Anyway, have you been going around using my name still?"

Russell laughs, "Ha ha ha ha! Why would I need to do that anymore? They would know it's not you because I'm not short."

Ed growls, "I'm not short anymore!" He stands next to Russell. Alphonse and Fletcher try to decide who is taller.

Even though he knows he'll get beat up later by Edward, Alphonse decided to say who wins. "Well, Russell is still a little bit taller, but Ed has grown."

Russell looks over at Ed. "Yeah, you have!"

"Whatever!" Ed yells.

"Anyway, what are you doing now? Still working for the military?" Russell asks.

"No, I'm not going back there. I'm still trying to figure out what to do."

"Well, I wish you good luck," Russell holds out his hand. Ed shakes it and nods. Ed sees Izumi's husband and immediately walks over to him.

Ed laughs, "Guess she doesn't want to see me?" A thought just popped into his head. What did happen to Izumi that day everything changed?

Sieg says, "Trust me Edward, she wishes she could be here to see you today and talk, but…"

"She died," Edward says quietly. "I'm sorry." Al pats Ed's back. Ed talked to so many people, people he met on his journey, his old friends, and even people he doesn't know or doesn't remember. He found out everything that's happened while he was gone, and who else died. While sitting at the table next to Roy with Al and Winry, he starts thinking about everyone that died. He can't stop thinking about Hughes and how if he were here right now he would be bragging about his daughter. He can't stop thinking about Izumi and everything she taught him. Alfons Heiderich pops into his head too. The rockets, Germany, Shamballa, and everything else about the other side of the Gate plays in his mind. He sees his whole life playing in his head like a movie. Ed covers his face with his hands.

Winry looks over at Ed. She squeezes his shoulder. "What's wrong, Ed?" Ed pulls his hands away and looks at Winry. She sees his eyes all watery like he wants to cry. She looks at him with concern, and that's when Ed realizes he mustn't dwell on the past any longer and just stay with the present and hope for the future. His future is sitting at that table with him. Winry wiping his tears away startles him. 'Her hands are so soft' he contemplates.

"I'm okay," Ed reassures.

The band begins playing music, and people start dancing. Roy looks at Hawkeye. "How about we do both of ourselves a favor and dance?" He holds out his hand to her. She takes his hand and walks onto the floor with him. Seeing them dances reminds Ed of when Rose danced with him. She admitted that night that she loved him, but he knew what Dante was up to. Even is Rose does live him, he can't return the feelings, but he just got an idea.

Ed tells Winry and Al, "I've got a good idea. I'll be right back." He strolls casually over to Havoc. "Hey Havoc, I'm guessing you don't have a wife or a girlfriend still?"

Breda, Falman, and Fuery snicker. Havoc sighs, "You make me feel like crap, Edward. You really do."

"Well, get up!" Ed grabs Havoc and drags him. "I have a friend I want you to meet. You'll really like her. I want you to ask her to dance."

"Uh, ok." Ed stops when he sees Rose. Rose looks at Edward and Havoc.

"Rose, I want you to meet Jean Havoc," Ed says. Havoc blinks, then his cigarette falls out of his mouth. 'She's so beautiful. Her skin tone, her eyes, her hair, her body. How is it that all of the girls Ed is friends with are so good looking? But what if she puts me down like Armstrong's sister did? Guess I gotta take that chance.'

Rose smiles, "Hello Mr. Havoc. It's nice to meet you. I'm Rose Thomas."

'What a pretty smile.' Havoc clears his throat. He stands up straight and asks her, "Rose, would you like to share a dance with me?" 'Havoc, you loser, just get ready for her to shoot you down.'

Rose blushes, "Well… I….". Havoc starts to sweat. "Yes, I'd like to." Havoc does the happy dance in his head. He smiles and offers his hand. Rose takes it, and they walk onto the floor.

Ed smiles. Both of them look very happy. Ed comes back and still tries to do good deeds. 'Time to go ask Winry.' Ed walks back to their table, but Al and Winry are gone. He looks around until he sees them dancing! They are laughing and having fun. Ed sits down and waits for the song to finish. Al and Winry return to the table.

Winry giggles, "Al, you're such a goofball. You made everyone laugh at us."

Al laughs, "Sorry. I'm not good at dancing fast like that. Actually, I haven't had much practice. It's not like I ever get to dance."

The band starts playing a slower, more romantic song. Ed stands up, takes Winry's hand, and walks her out onto the floor. He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close. Winry gasps, surprised by his actions. She wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his shoulder. She's been close to Ed, but not this close. She can feel the heat radiating off his body, warming hers up as well.

Ed grins, "It's nice dancing with someone taller than you, isn't it?"

Winry laughs. 'What a random thing to say.' "Ed, I would dance with you even if you were still shorter than me." Ed blushes. That's the last thing he thought he'd ever hear come out of a girls mouth. They dance until the music stops playing. Ed continues holding Winry and looks at her. She looks up, and her ocean blue eyes catch his fiery golden ones.

'This is like a dream.' Ed thinks. 'A really good dream.' He caresses her cheek with his hand and leans in closer. Winry is unsure of what to do. Ed looks like he wants to kiss her. She doesn't feel like being kissed anymore after what Michael did to her earlier. Yet, Edward has never acted this way towards her before, and he may never do it again. She doesn't need to worry anymore though because Ed pulled away. He looks around frantically. Everyone is staring at them and grinning. Ed's whole face turns red, and Winry walks back to the table with Al, covering her embarrassment with her hands. People start whistling and howling. Ed walks to Roy's table. Roy is sitting there with that pompous smile on his face.

"Well, Full Metal finds love," Roy says arrogantly.

Ed moans, "Oh shut up. I don't want to hear your smart-ass remarks. Winry told me earlier that you want to talk about something. So, let's talk."

Roy smiles, "I'll just toy with you later. Anyway, I heard you're looking for a job?"

"Yeah, I am. Don't think I'm joining the military again, so stop calling me Full Metal."

"Actually, that's still your title even if you're not a part of the military anymore, but I guess I'll be generous and try to start calling you Edward Elric from now on. Anyway, I figured you wouldn't want that job again, so I found something else for you. I'm sure you know there's a school a couple of buildings down from here. They need someone to teach alchemy and chemistry. You don't have to teach them how to do alchemy, but they need to learn about it. The military will be paying you if you want the job," Roy says. Roy whispers in Ed's ear how much he would be making.

Ed jumps, "That much! Okay then, I'll take the job." Roy goes into more details about the job, and he agrees to help Ed with building a house next to Winry's.

Roy grins, "Good. You start tomorrow."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Here is my gift to you, another new chapter. This one ended up being very long because I wanted all of it to happen in one day. Sorry the update took so long. My hours changed for work, so now I basically work from dawn til dusk, and the days that I don't work I'm starting to get really busy. I go on vacation soon too. Updates are going to take long and longer, but I will finish this story. I want to finish before August 28 (school starts for me). This chapter made me think of a fanfic I wanna do after this one. How about a HavocxRose?


	5. Two Future Sick Lovebirds

Edward slept very well last night. He dreamed of the party Winry threw for him and Alphonse. That was such a nice thing to do on Winry's part. She's done so much for those two, and Edward feels like he owes her so much. Being the nice person she is, all Winry asks for is friendship. Equivalent exchange?

Alphonse pushing on his shoulders interrupts Ed's dreams. Ed moans from being so tired and opens his eyes. Ed smiles, "I've never partied until the early morning. I think I've only gotten 5 hours of sleep."

Al smiles back, "I'm glad you had fun. The party was more so for you. You haven't seen most of these people for over four years." 'Not to be mean, but I could've done without seeing half of them' Ed thinks to himself. "Ed, did you forget what you're supposed to do today?"

'What am I supposed to do today?' Ed ponders. 'What am I supposed to… damnit!' "I'm supposed to teach today!" Ed yells angrily.

Al corrects him, "You're supposed to be teaching in _ten_ minutes." Ed flies out of bed and whips his clothes on. Al grins, "So… Ed… I didn't know you had a romantic side." Ed looks at him like 'Huh?'. "After you finished dancing with Winry, you looked like you were going to kiss her."

"Was not," Ed retorts. "Are we going to do this every morning? You wake me up, then recite everything I did the day before, then try to get me to admit my personal feelings, and then we argue. Now you've made me even more late!" He steps into his shoes and literally leaps down the stairs. Winry is downstairs waiting for Ed to eat breakfast with her.

Ed quickly says, "Sorry Winry, I'm already late. Oh, I smell…". He drools at the sight of a pot full of steaming hot rice.

Winry giggles, "I figured you'd want this for breakfast. Just eat it while you're running, and try not to choke." She pours him a bowl of rice and hands it to him with chopsticks.

Ed takes it. He smiles, "Thanks Winry! See you later." He opens the door and darts down the road. Winry smiles. She's so glad to see Ed so happy. He usually looked like he was faking happiness every time she saw him after what happened to him and Al, but this time she knows he's happy. She pours a bowl of rice to Al and herself.

Al walks downstairs and sighs. Winry looks up, "What's wrong with you?"

Al lets out an even bigger sigh. He scratches the back of his head. "Heh, if only you knew, Winry. If only you knew. By the way, you look kinda pale. Are you okay?"

Winry continues to smile, "I'm fine, Al. Just tired from yesterday."

Al nods and starts looking through Winry's collection of books to find something to read. Automail, automail, prosthetics, how to tell good wrenches from bad ones. Al shudders. So many automail books. She probably learned how to throw her wrench from one of these books. More automail, automail, good oil to use, and… an alchemy book! Why would Winry have an alchemy book?

Al looks at Winry strangely. "Hey Winry. Do you use alchemy?"

"Are you crazy! Why the hell would I try alchemy when I could try making new automail designs?" Winry says. Nope, she doesn't. Al flips through the pages of the book, noticing it looks like one of his father's books. Actually, it is! His father's signature is signed on the inside of the front cover. The only way Winry could have this is if she recovered it after they burned their house down. Why would she keep it? He begins flipping through the pages, observing the notes handwritten inside. It's not Hohenheim's handwriting. It's Winry's.

Winry is curious as to why Alphonse would ask such a question. Her curiosity is answered when she sees him reading the alchemy book. She freaks and snatches the book out of his hands. Al whines, "Hey, I was reading that! Besides, where did you get that book?"

"Al, just don't read what's in here," Winry says seriously.

"I bet Ed would love to know what's written in here. Maybe I should tell him, or let him read it himself," Al grins.

Winry gasps, "You wouldn't dare! Since when did you become so evil?"

Al says, "I'm not evil. But anyway, I think _you_ should tell him _yourself_."

Winry frowns, "I can't. No. I don't want to. I'm afraid he will think of me differently and act differently around me." She gives Al his bowls of rice and goes upstairs, coughing the entire time. Al smiles inside. 'She'll give in before he does. Besides, Ed needs a girl in his life.'

Later that day around 3 P.M., Ed returns. He flings the door open, wearing that happy face you rarely see. He yells, "Hey Al, Winry, I'm…" he pauses for a brief moment and looks around. He says to himself, "Where is everyone?"

Al hears Ed and comes downstairs. Al speaks quietly, "Keep your voice down. Winry is upstairs sleeping. She has a cold."

"She gets a cold when summer is about to start, that's odd. Is she okay?" Ed frowns.

"Yeah. Somebody probably came to the party sick." Al changes the subject for a second. "So anyway, how was teaching?"

Teaching. Teacher. Ed thinks of Izumi when he hears either of those words. "It was interesting. I didn't really teach anything today. The kids mostly asked about me and when I was in the military."

Al smiles, "You're still a celebrity."

"Eh, anyway. I'm going upstairs to see Winry," Ed says, already starting to walk upstairs. He quietly twists the doorknob and opens Winry's door. He leaves it open just a crack and pulls up a chair next to her bed. 'She looks pale.' He notices an alchemy book sitting on her nightstand. He picks it up and sits back down, flipping through the pages. 'One of Dad's old alchemy books. Why would Winry have this…' He flips to a page with a simple transmutation circle on it and reads the writing next to it. He chuckles. _When we were young, Edward and Alphonse used this circle to make a doll for me. I was scared, but I played with that doll all the time. I still have it too._ He flips to another page. _No one understands what happened to Edward that day. When Al came back as a ten-year-old boy, it left everyone confused. Most people thought Ed died. I didn't. I knew he was somewhere. I hoped everyday I would see him again, but I soon gave up. Maybe he really did die. Even so, I've come to realize that I have strong feelings for Ed, and always will. I'll take care of Alphonse to the best of my abilities, for Edward._ 'Feelings… for me?' He is about to read more pages, some might make him gasp, but he hears Winry moan. He sets the book down to look at Winry.

Winry opens her eyes and smiles at the sight of Ed. She manages to croak out, "How was teaching?"

Ed laughs, "That doesn't matter right now. How are you feeling? Getting better?"

"I think so. I'm just really cold."

"Want me to grab more blankets?" Ed asks.

"No, that's okay. I'm already under three. Adding more doesn't seem to work," she chuckles.

"Well, Al tried to call Granny, but he couldn't get a hold of her," Ed says. Ed wants to talk about his day, but Winry starts shaking uncontrollably. "W-Winry?" Ed stutters. Ed yells, "Al, get up here!"

Al runs up to the room Ed and Winry are in. "What's wrong?"

"She said she is very cold, but she started shaking uncontrollably like this!"

Al remains calm. "Roy Mustang said there was a bad flu going around Central. One of them probably brought it when they came to the party. He said they get pale, then really cold and start doing this, then you're bedridden for a week."

"A week!" Ed freaks. "I have to teach again soon!"

"Forget that! We have to help Winry," Al states. "I kept giving her blankets, but she said they weren't helping."

"Then what else can we use for heat?" Ed asks impatiently. He looks at Winry and fears for her.

Al thinks for a moment and says, "Well, remember what Teacher told us? The body is the best source of heat. So, if you get into the bed with her…".

Ed cuts him off. "What! First of all, why me? Why don't you do it? It's your idea."

"It would make more sense if you did it."

"What does that mean? Oh, don't start this Al," Ed warns.

Al sighs, "It would mean more to her if you helped her. Besides, when have you ever helped Winry?"

Ed is speechless. The answer to his question is _never_, and now he feels bad. "You're right. I'll do it." Ed pulls up some of the covers to get in, but Al stops him.

"You idiot. You have to take your clothes off," Al says.

Ed grumbles, but he takes off all his clothes until he's in only his boxers. He pulls the covers off and gently lifts Winry up. He gets into the bed and leans his back against the headboard of the bed. He lowers Winry back down. She practically melts into him. Al pulls the covers back over them. Ed wraps his arms around her. A thought just popped into his head. "Won't my automail feel cold on her?"

"I think she'll be okay," Al reassures. "I'll come check on you guys in a little while." Al opens the door, and right before he leaves he says, "Brother, I should've told you this earlier, but this flu is contagious." Al closes the door before Ed has a chance to throw something at him. Al says to himself, "Which means I'll probably get it soon."

Ed sighs. 'I haven't been sick for years, just a little homesick.' He feels the shaking Winry against his body and cringes. He pulls her a little tighter against himself. He closes his eyes and hopes for the best.

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Sorry the update took so long. Now I work 5 days a week, so it feels like I can't do anything else. I leave for vacation on Friday, so don't expect another update for about a month. I also started a livejournal, so I think the link is in my profile. Also, Ed might start acting a little OOC, but I'm trying to make it as believable as possible. Enjoy!


	6. Burn the Truth

Al had decided not to check on them last night and just let them rest. Pinako happened to call last night to check up on the three, and Alphonse told her about Winry getting sick. Pinako went to the train station to try and board a train ASAP, but believe it or not, the trains to Risembool are booked for a month! Al said he would take care of them. Winry woke up in the middle of the night. She was still half asleep; however, she didn't realize Ed was in the bed with her. She saw the alchemy book sitting on the nightstand next to her bed and knocked it behind the nightstand. She wrote a mental note to burn the book soon.

Al woke up early to attempt to make soup for Ed and Winry. He knows he isn't very good at cooking, so that's why he got up extra early. "It almost tastes good," Al says to himself.

The little bit of sunshine glimmering through the window wakes up Winry. She wriggles around a bit before opening her eyes. "I had such good dreams last night, and I've never slept better in my life," she says, and then coughs. She wonders why she is so warm until she realizes… someone else is in the bed with her. Under her. With their arms around her keeping her warm. Winry gasps. She slides the covers down a pinch to see one muscular flesh arm around her waist and one of her nicely crafted automail arms also around her waist.

"Ed!" she gasps. She tilts her head up and to the side to see the bottom on his chin and his neck. 'Ed slept in the bed with me? All night? Why? Did we do…' Many thoughts, some dirty, trickle into Winry's mind. She wants to ask Ed what happened, but he is still asleep. She can hear a low moan from him sleeping, which makes her giggle. 'He looks like a sleeping angel.' She feels his chest rising and falling from breathing. Sometime during the night they changed their position. Ed had slumped into the pillow, and Winry was practically on top of him, but not in a position that would squish him. Their bodies somehow fit together just right like ying and yang.

Winry lightly blows on his neck. Ed's nose twitches a little, and he immediately opens his eyes. He had almost forgotten that he stayed in the bed with Winry. He looks down at her to see the side of her face.

"Good morning," she smiles sickly.

Ed blushes, "Goo…d morn…ing." He attempted to say good morning, but his voice was very hoarse. He caught the flu. Ed pushes himself up to lean back against the headboard. He gently pulls Winry up with him, but he has some trouble. He barely has any energy.

Winry laughs and coughs in between. "Guess you caught it too. Sounds like you have it worse than me though. I feel a lot better."

Ed nods, "Tha..t's good." He holds his throat.

Winry says, "I'd hate to make you talk a lot, but I have a question. Why did you sleep with me last night?" She turns her body all the way to the side so she can look at Ed when they talk.

Ed gulps. 'This is really gonna hurt my throat.' Ed sighs, "You were… hav…ing a bad shiver… attack. Al said… body heat… works be…st so I… kep…t you warm," Ed says. He coughs into his hand. Now he looks just as pale as Winry.

Winry smiles. Her smile still looks bright even though she's ill. She reaches her hand over and starts rubbing his neck. "I'm sorry I got you sick, but thank you for keeping me warm," Winry says. Ed blushes in return. He tilts his head up to hide his redness and because the touch of her hand rubbing his neck feels good. "You've changed a little, Edward, but not too much."

'I feel… different. The old me would've jumped out of the bed immediately thinking how gross it is to be in a bed with a girl, especially Winry! But I think she's right. I have changed. Even though Granny and Roy said I grew up when I joined the military, I still felt like a kid a little. When I crossed the Gate, and lived in Germany, I felt like I've grown. At the party, Mustang said I've grown into a man, and that I'm going to make one woman very happy one day. I need to stop thinking about the past and be grateful for what's right in front of me. Alphonse… and Winry. They are my future…'.

Edward's thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door. Alphonse opens it. "Good morning!" He exclaims.

"Hi," Winry and Ed say in unison.

Al laughs. "That didn't sound very pretty."

"Ed is losing his voice. It's going to be nice because he won't be able to argue with us for a while," Winry giggles. Ed casts her an evil glare.

Al sets a tray with two bowls of hot steaming soup on the nightstand. He pulls up a chair and sits next to the bed. "I made you two some soup. It took me forever to get it right," Al says.

"Poi…son," Ed mumbles.

"I heard that. I tried to make it taste good. I'm sorry if it doesn't." Alphonse almost sounds upset from what Ed said.

Winry smiles. "I'm sure it's fine."

"Anyway," Al begins, "I made some phone calls. First, I called your grandma. She tried to get a train back home, but they are booked for a month! Can you believe that? Even Ed and I never had that much trouble when we were traveling. The three of us are going to be here by ourselves for a while. I tried calling a doctor, but I couldn't get a hold of any of them. I also called Roy Mustang, which it took forever to get a hold of him, and asked him about this flu. He said its been going around Central for a long time. He says sorry because he just got over it before the party and brought it with him. He said it only lasts for three days, and the side effects are different for each person. Ed, I also called the school and told them you were sick. They said come back whenever you feel better. They don't want the kids to get sick. So Winry, tomorrow will be your last day of sickness. Ed, you have tomorrow and the next day."

Winry didn't hear half of what Alphonse even said. She was staring at the soup the whole time. Ed, on the other hand, heard every word loud and clear. 'Dammit Mustang, I'm going to beat your ass into the ground next time I see you!' Alphonse gets up and walks out into the hallway.

"I'm going to let you two eat and rest. I also don't want to get sick. If I get sick, there won't be anyone to take care of us," Al says while walking back downstairs.

Ed reaches out to grab the spoon. He dips it into the soup, pulls it out, and drops it on the floor. Sadly, he doesn't even have enough energy to feed himself. 'I feel like an idiot.' Ed thinks.

Winry smiles and reaches for his soup and her spoon. She feeds Ed his soup, and she eats her own as well. Once they finished she asks, "That should help your throat a lot. Feel any better?"

Ed nods. "My throat feels… a little better. Al's soup wasn't half… bad."

Winry smiles and starts rubbing his throat again. He closes his eyes and tilts his head up. "You're just like a cat," she giggles.

The eve of 2 days later…

Ed should feel better sometime tomorrow, but Winry feels as good as new. As soon as she felt better, she grabbed the alchemy book from behind the nightstand. She started a fire a couple of minutes ago and is currently waiting for it to heat up. Ed and Al are both sleeping. 'I have to burn this book. Al already read too much, and I don't want Ed to read it at all. I'm too ashamed to let him know how I feel.' Winry sighs. She fumbles the book around in her hand. Finally, she's made up her mind and tosses the book into the fire. A small tear falls from her eye.

She turns around when she hears footsteps on the stairs. Ed is walking down the stairs, or more like _trying_ to walk without falling. He manages and immediately walks to the couch to keep himself up.

Ed sighs. "Why do you have one of my father's old alchemy books?"

Winry looks away. Ed looks mad. She says, "I found it in the ruins of your house after you and Al burned it down. I kept it so I could remember you two. I'm sorry."

"I read a couple of pages in it."

Winry started to get angry as well. Angry and upset at the same time. "You're just as bad as Alphonse, going through my things."

"That's not your book anyway!" Ed yells, and coughs afterwards. His voice is better, but his throat still hurts. After he clears his throat, he says, "How come you never told me about… some of the stuff you wrote in the book?"

"Why should I? It's not like you and Al tell me things. You rarely do."

"Dammit, Winry!" Ed yells. Before he can finish, he collapses on the ground.

"Ed!" Winry shrieks. She rushes over to him and flips him onto his back. She lifts his upper body up and slings it over her shoulder. She struggles to stand up, but she manages. She goes back into her room and lays Ed onto the bed. She stands for a moment to get her energy back. Ed isn't as light as he used to be.

"Winry," Ed moans.

"You idiot," she sighs. All of a sudden, Ed starts shaking a little like Winry did the other day from being cold. Winry climbs into bed next to him. She pulls the cover over both of their bodies and pulls him close to herself. "I'm here for you," she whispers.

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I lied. I got in another chapter before 1 month. I work more days now until school starts, but I got shorter hours like 4-5 a day. I'm still busy with other things, but I'm going to try to update ASAP. I know how the next chapter is going to go, so the update should be in about a week, but no promises. Enjoy and review!


	7. To Tell the Truth

It took Edward a little longer to recover from being sick. For a second Winry thought she was going to end up taking him to the hospital. He slept for over 24 hours and finally woke up. He pushes his hair out of his face and sits up.

Winry gasps, "Ed, don't scare me like that!"

"What the hell did I do now?"

"You've slept for over 24 hours, and I thought you were dying!" Winry yells. "Don't scare me and Al like that!"

"I slept for… 24 hours! What!" Ed shrieks. "I don't know how I managed that."

Winry changes the subject. "Anyway, how do you feel? It sounds like your voice is back." She smiles.

Ed didn't even notice his voice was better. He laughs, "Hey, I guess it is. I guess those… neck massages you gave me really helped. Haha." Ed stops laughing and blushes slightly.

Winry giggles. "You were so adorable. You acted like one of Alphonse's cat friends when they get their ears rubbed."

"Stop," Ed mumbles very quietly.

Winry asks, "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Stop," Ed states a little louder.

Winry sighs, "Oh Edward." He stares at her, waiting for more. "You deserve some good treatment once in a while. Enjoy it when it comes. You need to relaaaaaax." She gets behind him and starts rubbing his shoulders. "You feel so tense. It's probably from being sick. I'll give you a massage to ease the tension. By the way, you never told me about how your first day of work was."

Ed sits there, enjoying the massage. "Well, I didn't do much teaching. The kids wanted to know about me, so I told them about myself back when I was known as the Full Metal Alchemist. Some of their parents know who I am and told their kids about me. It was fun remembering some of the journeys."

"I bet you had little girls all over you too saying how cute you are," Winry smiles.

Ed rolls his eyes. "They drove me crazy. I thought I was gonna… hey! How do you know about that!"

"I didn't, but thanks for telling me," Winry grins. Luckily, Ed can't see any of Winry's faces. "You're very handsome, Edward. I bet you had dozens of girls looking at you when you and Al were searching for the stone, and you didn't even know it."

'Girls have called me cute, but handsome? That's even better, I think. Why is she doing this to me? This is torture! But this shoulder rub… ergh it feels so good.' Ed gulps. "Were… were you one of them, Winry?"

"One of what?" she asks.

"One of those girls," Ed replies.

Winry is confused for a second but mentally slaps herself for being so slow. 'Uh oh, what do I say? If I say yes, he'll know I think of him as more than a friend. If I say no, I might hurt his feelings? Or would I? If I say nothing? Oh, what to do!' Ed turns a little, wondering what's taking her so long to respond.

'This is getting boring. What is she up to? Time to have some fun.' Ed sighs heavily, "Well, judging by your long pause, I guess that's a yes." Ed smirks.

Winry snaps out of her thoughts. "What! I never said that."

"Then what were you trying to say?" he asks while turning around to face her. "How about I give you a shoulder rub?" He places his hands on both her shoulders, but she immediately pushes them away.

"I don't want one," she says.

"Why not? You just got done being sick also. You need to relaaaaaaax also," he says soothingly. He crawls closer to her.

She moves back a little. 'What is he doing? Ed's never acted like this before. I think being sick messed up his head.' "I'm fine. I've been fine."

"Then why won't you answer my question?" He asks. She moves back until the headboard of the bed stops her. "Feeling intimidated?"

Winry gives him a strange glare. "I think being sick has made you…". Before she finishes her sentence she reaches both her arms out to push him away. Before she touches him, he claps his hands, grabs her wrists, and pushes them against the headboard. The wood on the headboard extends and covers her hands, holding her there. She doesn't even get to finish the sentence. Her eyes almost bulge out of her head. "Ed… what are you doing!"

Al looks up at the ceiling wondering why there was a flash of alchemy. He yells, "What's going on up there?" Ed and Winry couldn't hear him.

"You don't need to lie. I know the answer is yes. I've always wondered why you wouldn't let me change mechanics, and why it always had to be you. You like to hog me. You want to be my only mechanic." Ed goes on about a lot of things that are starting to hurt Winry's feelings.

"Stop," Winry whimpers. 'Why is he doing this? Tying me up and doing this isn't what I had planned. I feel helpless.'

Ed continues, but Winry finally yells at him. "STOP! Stop it!" A tear spills out of each of her eyes.

Ed's eyes soften. 'Oh no, I went too far. I hurt her feelings. What was I thinking!' Ed claps his hands and undoes the wood tying up her hands. "I'm sorry, Winry. I don't know what I was thinking." 'Like anything I do will make her better.'

Winry rubs her wrists. 'That hurt a little, but I'll just make him pay. What was he doing anyway?' Winry pounces on him, knocking him down on the bed. "That wasn't very nice."

Ed smirks, "You still didn't answer my question." Ed continues smirking, but his face slowly turns red. 'She's on top of me!'

"What the hell is all that noise? Ed, what are you doing now?" Al asks himself. He starts walking up the stairs to investigate on his own. Ed and Winry, on the other hand, start wrestling and tickling. Al stops walking when he hears the bedsprings. He makes a disgusted face. "Maybe I shouldn't…". Al's head tells him not to go up, but his body keeps walking.

Ed finally lies on top of Winry, holding her down. "I think you already know the answer, so quit asking," Winry simpers. As soon as she finishes talking, Al opens the door to find them in that position.

Al gasps. "Brother! Winry!"

Winry and Ed both turn their heads in unison towards Alphonse, and they blush a crazy red. Winry shoves Ed off of her; however, he jumps off her at the same time, almost flying off the bed.

"We di-didn't do anything, Al. Don't g-get any ideas," Winry stutters.

"I'm sorry," Al says with a straight face, even though he's laughing his ass off inside his head.

Winry spares a glance at Edward before she gets off the bed. Ed hasn't said anything since Al walked into the room. Before Winry leaves, she says, "Edward, don't ever do this to me again! You've been acting strange ever since you've been sick, and finding the alchemy book, and what you just did. What's wrong with you?" Her voice became louder and louder after every sentence. Finally, she leaves.

Al looks at Ed and taps his foot.

Ed sighs, "We didn't do anything, Al."

"Well, you must've done something, or she wouldn't have said that. What the hell did you do to her?"

"I…" Ed pauses. 'No more lies. I can't do it anymore.' "… said some things I probably shouldn't have. I made her upset. That's all you need to know."

Ed gets off the bed and puts his pants on, but nothing else. Al walks over to him. Before Ed can even think, Al punches him on the side of his face, almost knocking him off balance.

Ed looks at Al bedazzled. "What the hell was that for?" He yells.

Al throws his arms in the air. "You're an idiot! You're the biggest idiot I know! Idiot!"

Ed yells, "Shut up! Don't call me an idiot!" He rubs his cheek, which turned a little pink from the blow.

"You are! You need to control your feelings. You need to quit hurting Winry's feelings. You need to stop lying to yourself and everyone else! It's very obvious Ed, so you don't need to lie. You make yourself look bad."

Ed is pissed. He can't believe his brother punched him in the face and now says this to him. The sad part is Alphonse is right. Edward knows he's right.

"Now, you're going to go apologize to her, and tell her how you really feel," Al commands.

Ed nods and obeys him as if he were Mom. Ed runs out the room to look for Winry. He spots her about to go into her own room. "Winry!"

Winry turns to see who's yelling at her. She turns away and walks into her room. Ed races to her room, and she slams the door on his nose. "Ouch, dammit!" He rubs his nose. 'What is this? Gang Up on Edward and Hurt Him Day?' He twists the doorknob, but she locked it. He bangs on the door. "Dammit Winry, open up!"

"Get the hell away from me," she yells back. Ed can hear her crying through the door. Al walks up next to Ed. Ed claps his hands, but Al places his hand on Ed's shoulder. Ed looks at Al, and Al shakes his head in disapproval. Al walks downstairs to clean up a little, and Ed walks back to his room with his head lowered like a dog.

Al stayed out of their way the rest of the day. Winry stayed locked in her room, and Edward stayed in his room with his head buried in his hands. Ed spent the whole day getting lost in his thoughts. 'Everyone is always right about these kind of things, but why can't I ever realize it? I really am an idiot. Winry probably hates me now. She's probably always hated me. Al and I always left, and we rarely wrote letters or called unless I needed maintenance. Then we left to the other world. She probably hates me for leaving her. How do I… have these feelings for her? I've never felt this way before. She's just our good friend, but I feel like it's more. I just want to hold her and tell her how sorry I am about what I did. And when I did that to her earlier, I don't understand what I was doing. She probably wishes she were still with that Michael guy. Even though I think he treated her bad, what I did was just horrible. I'm a horrible person. All the horrible things I've done in the past.' Just then, he heard Al's voice in his head. 'Don't dwell on the past. Think about your future and what's right in front of you.' 'I kept telling myself that, and so does he. I just can't get it into my head. But I think I need to right now.'

Ed gets off the bed and immediately walks to Winry's door. 'It's probably still locked. I need to talk to her, so I'll do whatever I can to open it.' He turns the doorknob, and to his surprise it's not locked. He quietly and slowly opens the door. The sun is so bright from the sunset that it's blinding him. All he can see is her silhouette staring out the window. He puts his hands above his eyes to lesson the glare. He walks closer to her. Winry just stands there, not bothering to yell at him to go away because she knows he won't listen. She just stares at the sunset and its beauty.

Ed walks up right behind her, and she shivers from his presence. He wraps both his arms around her waist and gently pulls her to himself so that their bodies touch. Winry jumps a little, surprised by his actions. Ed uses his flesh hands to moves some of her hair to the right side of her body, and wraps it back around her waist. He buries his face in the crook of her neck but leaves some room so she can her him speak.

Before she has a chance to push him away, he says, "I know I'm the last person you want to see, but please listen to me before you push me away."

Winry frowns, but doesn't say a word. Ed figures she'll unwillingly listen and continues to hold on to her.

"Winry, I'm sorry about earlier. I know sorry isn't enough for everything I've done to you, and you deserve so much more than to just hear me say that. What I did was wrong. I should have never said most of those things. I should have never done that to you. I myself don't understand what I did. I think my feelings got out of control. I promise you I won't ever do that again, and I'll never treat you badly ever again. You've done so much for Al and I, but mostly me. You're such a good person, and we treated you unfairly sometimes. I know these words won't mean anything, but I really am sorry." It took Ed a lot of courage to say that to her. He stops talking because he almost starts to cry, but he tries to hold it in for a bit longer. Winry is speechless. She figured Ed would give her an apology sooner or later, but to actually say all of this to her meant a lot. Ed is the type to keep everything inside and not let anybody know how he is really feeling, and him opening up to Winry like this makes her feel very special.

Ed has more to say, even though he knows how hard it will be, but he needs to tell her. He _wants_ to tell her. "Winry… I…". He stops and almost loses his breath. 'No, you have to tell her. Just spill it all out.' "I have these feelings for you. I've had them ever since I crossed the Gate and thought I was never coming back. At first I didn't understand them, but now I'm beginning to. I've never felt like this towards a girl… err… woman before except you. I think I… I…". He stops. Winry wonders why he stopped, but her neck feels a little wet. She realizes that Ed is crying.

Winry cracks a little smile. 'Wow. I can't believe what he just said to me. I… feel like I want to cry too. He admitted he has feelings for me! He likes me more than just being his friend and mechanic. I know this really came from his heart. I've never seen him cry like this before…'. He thoughts trail off as she comes back to reality. He is holding her so close and tight that she's having trouble breathing. Also the fact that she's so flustered because of what he said.

'I couldn't hold it in. I can't believe I told her that. I can't stop crying. I don't know if I'm happy, relieved, angry, upset, or what. I haven't felt like this or cried like this since… since… Nina…'. He can't stop crying. He feels like he just let everything out of his system.

Winry says, "Ed, you're cutting off my circulation." She grabs his hands and pulls his arms off of her so she can turn around to face him. She continues holding his hands and looks up at him.

"Sorry," he says through his sob.

"I've never seen you cry like this before. This is not like you, but I'm almost happy you're crying. I'm sorry I slammed the door on your nose," she smiles sadly.

"It's ok. I got hit in the face worse today anyway," he says as he wipes his tears away. He points to his cheek. Winry examines it.

"What the heck did you do?"

Ed laughs a little. "Al socked me right in the face just like when we were kids! It kinda hurt this time though. Heh."

Winry lifts herself onto her tiptoes and kisses Ed's slightly red cheek. It didn't really help him though. It just turns redder. Winry smiles.

'I feel like such a baby crying in front of Winry. I couldn't even finish what I was going to say, but now that I think about it I'm glad I didn't. I think I was going to tell her I… love her! How do I know I love her! LOVE! She hasn't even said a response to what I told her. Maybe she just sees me as one of her automail patients and a friend but nothing else.' Ed gulps, "Winry? About what I said… I want to know if you feel the same way. If not…". 'If not… will I feel any different? Do I even know my own feelings?'

Winry looks up at him, her eyes watering with happiness. "Edward Elric, I've been wanting you to open up to me like this ever since I met you. You have no idea how happy I am. Promise me one thing though. You and Al aren't going to leave again, are you? I don't know what I'll do."

Ed smiles, "Al and I don't want to leave again. Not after everything we've been through. Now we can live normal, happy lives."

"I know this sounds crazy coming from me, but you're okay with having automail for the rest of your life? I know you'd love to have real limbs, but automail is just so…".

Ed interrupts her, "I'm glad that Al has his whole body back. That's enough to make me happy. I can grin and bear it." Ed pulls her into an embrace so fast that she almost bangs her head into his. She wraps her arms around his neck as he comforts his chin on top of her head.

"The world is always a better place when you're happy, Edward," Winry tells him. The room is still lit with the sunset, but instead of one sad silhouette, there are two content ones.

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Want to know something horrible? School starts in a week! I thought about ending the story with this chapter! However, there is still some stuff left I want to put in here, so there are only going to be maybe 3ish chapters left. I don't know how long it will take me to update during the school year, but I want to finish this story. I want to start on the RoseXHavoc fanfiction all planned in my head. I really liked this chapter, so I hope y'all do too. The next chapter though I really can't wait to write. It will have the most EdxWin love out of all the chapters. So look forward to it! Wish me luck on my driving test tomorrow to get my license! (I need it oO)


	8. Fireflies

"Edward, wake up!" Winry yells from the kitchen. The smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes begins to fill the house. 'Ed is going to be late to teach that alchemy class. He better get his lazy bum out of the bed soon'. She waits for about five minutes, but receives no response of yelling or footsteps walking down the stairs. She yells again, "Ed, you're going to be late!"

Ed rolls over to face Alphonse, who is currently staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. "I forgot to tell her I quit that job," Ed tells Al. Al continues staring at the ceiling. Ed says sternly, "Al, are you even listening to me?"

Alphonse rotates his head Ed's way. "Oh, sorry Brother. Well, I guess the best time to tell her would be right before she hits you with her wrench."

"I'll be ready this time. I'll catch it before it even inches near my face!" Ed says with glee. Al chuckles. Ed asks, "What were you thinking about anyway?"

Al hesitates, "Well… I… I keep wondering if maybe I'll ever find a girl."

Ed chuckles, "Of course you will, Al. You're too nice, and you're not like the rest of the idiots in this world."

"Thanks, I guess. You know, we still need to find a spot to build our house."

The door flying open cuts off Ed's response he is now going to make. An angry Winry stands under the frame. Al pulls the covers completely over his body and smashes the pillow against his face. "Good luck, Brother," Al mutters under the pillow.

"What was that?" Ed mutters back to Al. Winry walks over next to Ed's side. She didn't come upstairs empty-handed. She carries a hot plate of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. The smell rolls off the plate, and Ed sniffs it. Ed looks up at Winry with a goofy smile, forgetting to tell her about quitting the job. "Is that for me?" he asks.

Winry fakes a smile, "There's eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I made it all, nice and fresh. It could be yours… IF YOU GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF BED!" She sets the plate on the other side of the room. "You have to go to the school today, remember!"

Ed speaks quickly, "But Winry, wait. I forgot to…".

"No excuses!" She interrupts him. She pulls out her wrench and throws it. Instead of hitting Ed though, it hits Al's pillow.

Al pulls down the pillow and sits up, "Winry, that was me."

Winry giggles, "Oops. Sorry, Al. Your breakfast is sitting on the table." Al nods and walks to the kitchen. Winry picks her wrench back up and throws it with more force this time.

Ed puts his automail arm in front of his face for protection, and the wrench bounces off it; however, it leaves a dent. Ed looks at his arm and gasps. He turns to Winry, "Look at what you did!"

"Look at what _you_ did! I just made that for you!" Winry yells back. "Now I have to fix that dent! Hope you have money for that!"

"What should I have to pay for it? If you'd find something softer to throw like a pillow or something," Ed stares at her.

Winry sighs. "Oh jeez, we can argue about this later. You really need to hurry up."

"Wait, before you say or do anything else. I forgot to tell you, I quit that job," Ed tells her with haste.

Winry is surprised. "You did? When? Why?"

Ed scratches the back of his head. "Well, I didn't really like that job. I don't think teaching alchemy to a whole room full of kids is a really good idea. I don't want them making mistakes like I did. The most important reason why I quit though is to be closer to home. With you and Al."

Winry frowns, "Oh. I didn't know that. I'm sorry. So you're just going to sit around all day now?"

Ed shakes his head, "No, no. I'm just going to conduct my own alchemy research here, at home. Then I send my research back to Central, and I get paid. No, I'm not working for the military. This is a private group doing private research." Winry runs up to him and gives him a hug.

"Edward, I'm so happy for you," she says. Ed sweats. First she tries to kill him with her trusty wrench, and now she's hugging him. Winry walks to the other side of the room to get his breakfast, and brings it back to him. She sets it on his lap. He grins at her and immediately starts piling down food.

She sighs. "Well, when you're done choking on food I guess you can come downstairs so I can fix that dent."

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"There! All done!" Winry exclaims. It took her less than 10 minutes to fix the little dent. "Now, you know that's still going to cost you."

Ed growls, "What? It wasn't my fault in the first place! That's…".

"Just kidding," Winry giggles. The giggle starts to turn into an enormous laugh.

Ed cocks his head in suspicion. "What are you laughing about?"

"I was just thinking about when we were sick, especially you. Your voice… I just felt so bad for you, but it was so funny. I finally didn't have to put up with you yelling or arguing. When I massaged your neck, you were so funny. Ah, thanks for the laugh."

Ed yells, "Hey! That was not funny!" Somehow Ed manages to crack a smile. 'I've never seen her laugh like that in so many years. At least I can make her laugh.'

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Dusk came, and night eventually creped in at about 9. Winry changed out of her clothes into her pajamas, a purple tank top and black capris. She stares out the window in the living room. Ed, upstairs in the bedroom with Al, takes off his shirt and was about to change just into his blue boxers until he gets a sudden urge. 'I'm not even that tired, and for some reason I want to go see Winry.' Ed looks over at Alphonse.

"Hey Al, are you doing anything else tonight?" Ed asks him.

Al shakes his head, "No, I was planning to just lay in bed until I fall asleep. Why?"

"Could you just stay in here until we get back?" Al was going to ask why, but he just figured it out. He smiles. Ed closes the door behind him. Ed knocks on Winry's door, but he gets no response. 'Hmm. I doubt she's still in the shop, but knowing her…'. Ed walks downstairs, and he spots Winry in the living room.

Winry glances over by the stairs. "Hey. I thought you were still upstairs doing research with Al?"

Ed walks over next to Winry's side. "Nah, we stopped for the night. Al was getting tired." Ed looks out the window, curious as to what Winry was looking at. He sees nothing. "What were you watching?" He asks her.

She doesn't say anything for a minute. "Well… it's kind of sad, but I'm so use to looking out the window waiting for two certain people to return. Sometimes I'd even wonder if they ever would come back."

Ed looks at Winry. 'I think I just realized how much pain Al and I caused her. We would go off and fight, and sometimes not visit or write letters, or call for months. We're lucky she never forgot us or just moved on.' Ed chuckles, "Well, you don't have to worry anymore. We aren't going to leave like that anymore."

Winry looks at him and smiles. "I'm glad. I really am." At that moment, their eyes lock. Ed somehow can't stop staring into those deep, caring blue eyes. Winry is just so full of happiness at this moment that she can't stop looking at him.

'She already knows I care for her. I just can't stop looking at her. She's so… beautiful, and caring, and smart, and just wonderful. I bet so many men came to her house while I was gone. I don't deserve her, although I think I do. No one else can take care of her, or love her as much as I do. Wait! Love? Is this what love feels like?'

"Winry?"

"Yeah?" she says.

'I have to tell her… tonight! The more I wait, I'll lose my chance and maybe even… lose her. I've lost too many people in my life. I won't lose Winry. This isn't very romantic though. Maybe… aha!' Ed grabs Winry's hand. "I have something to show you. Do you wanna walk with me?" He asks her.

"Sure," she replies, and they walk out the door holding hands.

They walk down the road for a while and eventually steer into the grassy area. Winry slightly laughs, "You know, if someone sees us…".

Ed stops and looks at her. "What do you mean by that? You don't like walking with me? You don't want people to see us together?"

'He sure does take things the wrong way sometimes. I really want to kiss him and shut him up, but no. How would he react? Probably in a bad way. Although, I wish he would kiss me. Hah, what am I saying! The Edward Elric I know would NEVER do something like that! No, I take that back. He has grown up so much. He told me he has feelings for me, so maybe he really does feel the same way I do. I can't shut mine away anymore. I'm contradicting myself in my head. I wonder where we are going'.

Ed pops her thought bubble. "Winry, are you okay?"

She apologizes, "Sorry, I blanked out for a second. What I meant was I'm in my pajamas, and you have no shirt on. People might get ideas."

"I doubt anyone is out right now. Besides, I don't care, so you shouldn't either." He tugs on her hand, urging her to keep following. She nods and continues walking with him. They reach a large hill, and Ed stops walking. He looks down the hill and smiles.

"They are still here as usual," he states.

Winry looks down the hill, and her eyes widen. There must be thousands of fireflies flying gracefully around the lake. She's never seen this many fireflies in one spot. There are usually just a couple dozen around the house, but not this many. She grins that excited grin of hers.

"There are so many! It looks like the lake is actually glowing under the water. It's so beautiful!"

Ed smiles, "Yeah. Al and I would come here a lot and have a contest of who could catch the most fireflies. We kept this place a secret."

Winry lets go of his hand and puts both of her hands on her hips. She pouts, "How come you never told me about this place?"

He laughs, "Like I said, it was a secret."

"So what made you want to show me this now?"

He shuffles his feet around. 'Because it's romantic here, and I wanted to be alone with you.' He looks up at Winry and sees her blushing. He realizes he accidentally said what he was thinking. She catches a firefly and sets it on his nose. He makes the most hilarious face trying to see the firefly on his nose. His eyes cross. Winry giggles, and pushes him. Ed stumbles back and loses his balances. He falls, and Winry realizes he's going to roll right down the hill into the water. She was going to grab him, but he surprises her by grabbing her arm and pulling her down with him. She holds her close as they roll down the hill together. Ed laughs because Winry is screaming at the top of her lungs. Her scream eventually turns into a laugh, and they laugh down the hill together.

They both land at the bottom of the hill with a thud. If they would've rolled any farther, they would've landed in the lake. Al surely would've questioned them when they get back. Winry tries to get up, but she can't. She blushes because Ed landed on top of her. Ed removes his hand out from behind her back, because they were squished, and firmly holds her waist. Her hands move down to the upper part of his arm.

"I don't know what I did to deserve that," he grins.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," Winry admits.

Ed's flesh hand moves to caress her cheek, and he rubs it with his thumb. He leans his face closer to hers to the point that he can feel her warm breath hit his lips. "Well, I've been wanting to do this for a long time," he says, and he closes the gap by kissing her full on the lips. She gasps. Never in her life did she think Ed would kiss her. She grips his arm harder and pulls it down so she can feel the warmth of his body. They both eat at each other's mouths like they've been starving for days. Both of them wanted this, and thought they would never get it. Both of their tongues meet, and Ed just loses himself. Winry breaks her lips away from his for air.

'I can't even think. My body feels so weak. I didn't even know he knew how to kiss'. He leans down again and captures her lips. They kiss for a while, enjoying every minute of it. Winry wraps her arms around his back, and he snuggles his head in the crook of her neck. His breath tickles, but she ignores it. She looks up at the stars. 'I didn't even have to wish on a star for this'.

They sit in silence until Ed says, "Winry, I'm in love with you."

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Wow, I'm really busy with school, a job, and extracurriculars. I worked on this during Labor Day weekend and finished it now. I think I'm going to make 1 more chapter, possibly two if I have to stretch it. I'm writing the RoseXHavoc fanfiction during school, so hopefully I can get that up soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I did. Tomorrow is September 11, so maybe some of you will get online and read this, and it will make a sad day happy.


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